Millions go on strike in India

Factories were attacked, vehicles were burned and a man was crushed to death by a bus in India on Wednesday at the start of a two-day trade union strike to protest price increases, low wages, unemployment and the government's economic reform measures.

By Rama Lakshmi

capecodtimes.com

By Rama Lakshmi

Posted Feb. 21, 2013 at 2:00 AM

By Rama Lakshmi
Posted Feb. 21, 2013 at 2:00 AM

» Social News

NEW DELHI — Factories were attacked, vehicles were burned and a man was crushed to death by a bus in India on Wednesday at the start of a two-day trade union strike to protest price increases, low wages, unemployment and the government's economic reform measures.

The man killed by the bus was a trade union leader in the northern city of Ambala. Authorities said he squatted on the ground in the path of a bus in an attempt to keep the buses from moving, then was hit and fatally injured.

Across many parts of India, millions of workers from banks, factories and the transportation industry did not report to their jobs because of the strike, which is likely to cause an economic loss up to $4 billion over two days, according to the Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India.

The strike — called by 11 national trade unions, including one affiliated with the ruling Congress party — is the latest in a series of anti-government protests that have dogged the government of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in the past two years. Protesters have attacked Singh's coalition government for high inflation, corruption scandals and a lack of safety for women.

"The national economy, battling slowdown, can ill-afford this situation," said Rajkumar Dhoot, the president of the industries association.

Earlier this month, the government released data to show that India's economy grew 5 percent over the past year, the lowest in the past decade.

The trade unions are also demanding effective enforcement of labor protection laws and an end to privatization of state-owned companies.